Australia's finance minister called Black Lives Matter protesters "selfish" on Sunday after tens of thousands of Australians rallied in cities including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane over the weekend despite a ban on large gatherings during the pandemic.
Details: Mathias Cormann told Sky News it's "reckless" and "self-indulgent" to hold demonstrations as officials try to stop the spread of COVID-19. Police in the state of Victoria said they would fine protest organizers A$1,652 (U.S.$1,150) each for defying the ban, per AAP.
Of note: The rallies were held to show support for U.S. protesters and to highlight the disproportionate number of deaths in custody and incarceration of indigenous Australians.
- Indigenous adults make up about 2% of Australia's population and 27% of the national prison population, official figures show.
By the numbers: Australia has 562 active novel coronavirus cases as of Sunday, per Australian Health Department data.
Go deeper: In photos: People around the world rally against racism
